


Take Your Time

by lizzybennettdarcy



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Season 11 Spoilers, Song Lyrics, alt season 11, bit of angst first, only a few though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-24
Updated: 2016-04-24
Packaged: 2018-06-04 07:32:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6648169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lizzybennettdarcy/pseuds/lizzybennettdarcy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Castiel loved Dean and Dean knew it. Hell he'd known it forever. And Sam was just about done with his nonsense. "You're an idiot. He's single and good-looking. And eventually he's going to stop saying 'No' to everyone else, Dean. Something to think about."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Take Your Time

The bar wasn’t much different from every other drinking establishment they’d passed time in over the years. It was maybe a little cleaner and the clientele a little more put together, but without incident it would probably blur in the memory banks within a month or two. Dean tapped his fingers against the bar and shot a charming smile at the woman behind the bar. She was a bit on the young side, maybe 26 or 27 and God knew that Dean was just more than 10 years her senior.

And didn’t that realisation make him want to drown himself in whiskey and then take her to bed. 40 was approaching quickly. Though with their luck, he’d probably die at least once before it hit. Dean’s smile slid from his face and he changed their order. He shot her a flirty wink, wanting to keep his options open before turning on his heel and heading back towards their table. He caught the end of what might have been a scowl on Castiel’s face before the angel turned his attention to Sam. Dean’s eyebrows furrowed but he shook it off quickly. Grabbing a chair from an empty table, he dragged it to the booth and settled himself on it heavily. His brother raised an eyebrow and Cas simply ignored the fact that Dean hadn’t sat beside either of them on the overly large booth benches.

Things were tense. And they had been for quite some time. The three of them had been through too much in the last several years for any of them to feel entirely at ease. Trust had been shaken and feelings had been hurt. Nothing would ever change the fact that Sammy was his brother, but they weren’t the same boys who had started out on the road to find their Dad so many years ago. And Cas held a place in Dean’s life that he wasn’t in a rush to identify. All he needed to know was that each time Cas died, Dean had a harder time coping. He honestly suspected that Cas had been healing him a little more fully each time he tended their wounds.

Because Dean should have died of liver failure pretty quickly after Cas walked into that reservoir. He hadn’t even _wanted_ to survive after Cas had stayed in Purgatory.

A well-manicured hand holding a beer entered his sightline and he turned to look up at their server. She was a bit older than the bartender and had a predatory smile on her lips. She handed the beers to Cas and Sam before handing Dean a glass of whiskey. He threw it back and smiled at her. “I’m gonna need another of these, Darlin’.”

A smirk crossed her lips and a huff escaped the angel a few feet to his right. He watched her walk away and admired the sway of her hips as the bartender poured him a double. She was back quickly and the napkin she placed on the table had a number on it. With a wink, she turned on her heel and headed to another table.

Sudden movement from the booth caught his attention and he watched as Cas untangled himself from their table. Beer in hand, he headed towards the bar and sat on a stool as far away from the hunters as possible. Dean watched after him for a few moments before turning back to the table and nursing his second glass.

An annoyed scoff carried over the sounds of the bar and Dean glanced up to meet his brother’s peevish gaze. “What?” He grunted.

Sam’s eyes narrowed as he glared at Dean. After several tense moments his jaw tightened and he looked away. “You’re such a dick.”

Sam’s tone held no teasing. He was clearly fed up and Dean had no interest in arguing with him. “Love you too, baby bro.”

Dean moved into Cas’ vacated spot and stared his brother down. Sam had other plans it seemed, as his gaze fell instead on the angel at the bar. His lips twitched and Dean followed his stare.

Cas was sitting at the bar, hunched over with his elbow on the hard surface. He was staring blankly at an older brunette woman who was clearly trying to pick him up. Dean chuckled and shook his head, turning back to his drink.

“What are you laughing at?” Sam asked waspishly.

Dean snickered and drained the glass, holding up a finger to the bartender. “That poor chick has no idea who she’s trying to pick up.”

Sam glared up at the server as she lingered a bit with Dean’s drink. She took the hint quickly and headed back to the bar. “Really? She probably thinks she’s talking to a good-looking, single guy.”

Dean’s head snapped up and he stared at Sam. “Good-looking and single, Sammy? Really?”

This time it was Sam who laughed. “What? You haven’t noticed? Those electric blue eyes and sex hair?”

A scowl formed without permission and something unpleasant clawed at Dean’s insides. “You have the hots for Cas, Sammy?” His tone was snide and a little too aggressive but he could blame it on the whiskey.

While he waited for Sam’s answer, he turned his attention back on the angel in question. He noticed that a pretty redhead had replaced the brunette and was leaning into Cas suggestively.

“Nope.” Sam replied, emphasizing the ‘p’. “But as my brother I’d hope you’d support me if I did like men. You know, the way I’d support you.”

Dean’s scowl deepened. “Good to know.”

Sam shook his head, thoroughly fed up with his brother. He threw the rest of his beer back and slammed the bottle on the table. “You’re an idiot.”

Immaturity blossomed and Dean grinned. “You already said that.”

Sam’s face remained stoic. “Well I thought it was important enough to repeat it.” He glanced over Dean’s shoulder and a sad sort of smile stretched his lips. “Cas _is_ single and good-looking, Dean. The lineup in here for his attention proves it. Maybe not tonight, but eventually he’s going to say yes to _someone_.” Sam moved from the booth and clapped him on the shoulder. “Something to think about.”

Dean didn’t acknowledge his brother’s departure. He managed to keep his attention away from the angel for about 32 seconds before checking on him. Cas was talking with an attractive man, maybe a few years younger than Dean. And he was smiling.

Anger and anxiety churned in his gut and he thought about bolting. That smile wasn’t meant for strangers. It wasn’t meant for good-looking guys in bars who didn’t know Castiel.

“You okay there, Honey?” His server asked, standing just a little too close and he jerked his head in a nod. He felt her hover in his space for a few moments longer before walking away, probably confused about his sudden disinterest.

And it was disinterest. He’d been wondering about his options for the night. The bartender or the server and both were clearly into him. But now he didn’t want either of them.

He watched as the strange man leaned a little closer to Cas and swallowed thickly when the angel didn’t lean away. Sam’s words cascaded around him and he thought he might vomit right there. Dean ducked his chin as he tried to breathe the panic away. The air around him crackled with anxiety and when he raised his head once more he found Castiel’s penetrating blue eyes studying him. Dean tried to force a smile but he was sure it looked more like a grimace of pain. Cas’ shoulders seemed to droop and he turned back to the man beside him. But it was obvious even from across the room that he was no longer engaging in conversation. Dean’s breathing calmed and his body relaxed but as he watched the man give up and wander away, he felt sick for another reason entirely. Castiel’s shoulders were hunched even lower and he stared down at the bar pitifully.

A few women approached him but he ignored them completely and Dean’s heart clenched in his chest. He knew how Cas felt about him. He knew and he had always known. He understood that what had started as admiration had slowly become infatuation and through much trial and error had become a love purer than most. Every single one of Castiel’s bad decisions could be linked to his feelings for Dean; he’d learned how to love from the Winchesters after all.

He knew that Cas loved him when he made a deal with Crowley to spare Dean more unhappiness. He’d known that Cas loved him when his last words before the Leviathan took him over was a sincere apology. He knew Cas loved him when he blindly followed a stranger across the country to save Sam. He knew Cas loved him when he took Sam’s insanity onto himself. He knew Cas loved him when he willingly went to his death against Dick Roman. He knew Cas loved him when he realised that Cas had stayed far enough away to keep him out of Leviathan crosshairs, but close enough to kill the more deadly foes in Purgatory. He knew Cas loved him when he broke Heaven’s mind control even without Dean telling him what he most needed to hear. He knew Cas loved him when he gave up an army for him. He knew when he spent a whole year trying to save Dean and almost gave everything to remove that damn mark. He knew Cas loved him when he used most of his grace to fashion a vessel for Lucifer to ensure his help against the Darkness and Sam’s safety from the Devil.

And if he had doubted any of it, if he hadn’t been sure after all of that, he would have known that Cas loved him when he struck a deal with the actual Devil to clean up Dean’s mess. Their options had been limited. Either release Lucifer to deal with the Darkness or seal the Darkness within Dean’s soul and lock him in Hell for eternity. No terrifying nightmares of his time in Hell would dissuade Dean from the latter. Lucifer could not be freed. His little brother was done being a Devil’s bitch.

And so like the Winchester he had become, Cas found a third option. He fought his way into Hell, released Lucifer from the cage and struck a bargain. He would use his grace to form a perfect vessel in exchange for Sam’s safety. But Lucifer wouldn’t be Lucifer if he didn’t want more. He had argued that working to stop the Darkness would be taxing and after Cas’ part in locking him back in the cage, he figured he was owed compensation.

Cas was already suffering in Hell when Dean found out he’d made the deal.

Lucifer had locked Cas down in the deepest pits, just above the cage, where he could not escape with his injured grace. The deal had been that Castiel would remain in Hell until Lucifer had defeated the Darkness. But Lucifer was a dick and decided to take his sweet ass time.

Cas spent 5 months in the pit. In a place so horrible that even Dean had never seen it. If it hadn’t been for the special conditions placed on the vessel that Cas built, he probably would never have gotten out. But when Lucifer’s vessel began to fail, he stopped taunting the Winchesters and raised Cas from Hell.

His mocking greeting of “I am the one who gripped you tight and raised you from Perdition” had earned him a broken jaw. Lucifer had been bitching and moaning about his inability to heal as Dean and Sam checked Cas over. He had remained mostly catatonic for a few weeks. Lucifer had taken off when his vessel had healed from its proximity to Castiel.

So yeah, Dean knew that Cas loved him. And Dean knew that he had never been more desperate than during Cas’ time downstairs. He had practically stalked Lucifer around the continent, pestering him to just finish the damn job already. He would have been dead a million times if it hadn’t been for Castiel’s well-worded deal.

Dean’s fingers drummed on the tabletop as his heart finally came to the conclusion he’d been afraid of for so long. “Nut up, Winchester.” He growled at himself before he stood and walked across the bar. He ignored the woman trying to get his friend’s attention and leaned against the bar between them. She was stuttering indignantly behind him but he tuned her out. He waited until Cas looked up at him, head tilted in a way he’d missed.

“Can I buy you a drink?” Dean asked coyly, leaning closer.

He fought a laugh as he watched his friend narrow his eyes in confusion. Cas’ mouth opened and closed a few times and Dean could almost hear the _“Dean, I thought you already were paying.”_

Cas continued to stare at him in confusion but nodded hesitantly. Dean barely glanced up at the bartender who had gravitated towards them and ordered two beers. He dismissed her immediately and went back to studying the angel in front of him. “So, you come here often?” He wondered, keeping the laugh out of his voice.

“You know that-“ Cas cut off with a huff and raised the beer to his lips.

“I know you’re probably just here to unwind, and I don’t mean to bother you, but I couldn’t just walk by and not say hi.” Dean smiled. “I’m sure you’ve had a lot of people bugging you. A good-looking guy like you. But I’d love a few moments of your time.”

Suspicion cleared and Cas’ eyes softened. Something close to a smile lifted his lips and he leaned closer to Dean. “I think I probably have some time.”

Dean licked his lips and grinned. “Do you now? How much time do I have?”

Cas chuckled deep in his chest and he placed his hand over the handprint that had marked Dean’s very soul all those years ago. “Well, I don’t really have any plans. Mostly I just follow these two trouble-magnet brothers around.”

Dean laughed at the rather apt response and slapped a few bills on the bar. “You want to get out of here?”

Cas’ fingers tangled with his and pulled Dean closer to his side. “You have no idea.” Dean smiled and squeezed his fingers. 


End file.
